NCDPI Office of Charter Schools (OCS) Updates
A Message from the Desk of Dave Machado, Director, NCDPI Office of Charter Schools
Preparing for the beginning of a new academic year is an exciting time. It is similar to baseball spring training,
everyone is undefeated and ready to win a championship. I trust that you will
keep this “winning attitude” through out the year, and if OCS can help in
any way, please let us know.
We have 11 new schools opening this month bringing
the total number of charter schools in North Carolina to 167. The State Board of
Education approved 8 new schools to begin the Ready to Open process along with 5 schools that were approved in 2015 and asked for a one year delay to open in the fall of 2018.
Our charter school community continues to grow and make a
positive impact on students across the state. We are planning an exciting and
informative Leadership Conference on October 10th and 11th
at Expedition Charter School in Hillsborough, and look forward to you attending.
Best of
luck as you kick off a new year, and as Dr Howard Fuller said at the NC Public
Charter School Conference in Asheville last month….”it is about the children!" Thanks for your service to charter school students in North Carolina!
 Training Opportunity
Board members from charter schools that are opening in 2017 are required to
attend 5 face-to-face planning year sessions from September to January.
The school leader and some of the board members are also required to
attend the New Charter School Leaders Institute in June.
As a customer
service, the Office of Charter Schools continues to open up these sessions to
all charter schools. If you have a new school leader and/or a new board
member interested in attending any of the sessions, he or she must register to
attend. Please note the schedule below:
Registration is now open for
the September session. Registration ends on Sunday, September 18th. Please use this link to register: September 2016 Planning Year Session
Registration Link.
For questions, please contact Dr. Kebbler Williams at kebbler.williams@dpi.nc.gov.
|
2017 Teacher of the Year Nomination Process
The
NC Department of Public Instruction is pleased to coordinate the 2017
Burroughs Wellcome Fund North Carolina Teacher of the Year (TOY)
Program. OCS will specifically coordinate the TOY process for charter schools.
The program provides an opportunity to honor and recognize exemplary
school teachers, including teachers in charter schools, in North
Carolina and to call attention to the importance of the teaching
profession.
Each
school should select a TOY Coordinator. As the TOY Coordinator, you are
asked to submit one teacher from your charter school to proceed in the
regional process. Your nomination must hold a Continuing License, be
employed full-time, and spend at least 70% of his or her time in direct
instruction of North Carolina public school students. The 2017 NC
Teacher of the Year schedule includes changes to the processes this
year. Charter school TOYs will participate earlier in the local
processes of interviewing and will compete in their region.
The
top two charter school candidates from each region will be forwarded to
the Office of Charter Schools. The Office of Charter Schools will
evaluate those portfolios, conduct interviews, and visit the top two
charter school candidate’s school. The Office of Charter Schools will
submit the Charter Teacher of the Year to participate in the state
process. One of the remaining regional Teachers of the Year/Charter TOY
will be named the State Teacher of the Year.
We
will communicate directly with your selected Charter Teacher of the
Year to collect their nomination packet/portfolio. We will work
collaboratively with you to support your teacher and to ensure we
receive their portfolios by the deadline of September 15, 2016.
The State Teacher of the Year will advance as a finalist and compete for
the national title. For more information on the National Teacher of
the Year process, please visithttp://www.ccsso.org/ntoy.html.
The
2017 TOY selection schedule is attached. Please complete the
electronic Nomination Form once your teacher has been selected: http://goo.gl/forms/sKcGQbFqSI. Thank
you for your commitment and dedication to this process and for all the
ways you support the retention of qualified professional educators in
our state. Please contact Brian Smith @ brian.smith@dpi.nc.gov with questions or concerns.
Attachment: NC TOY Selection Schedule
 Office of Charter Schools (OCS) Job Opportunity
OCS is seeking to fill one of its vacant consultant positions. The job description inclusive of how to apply is available using this link: OCS Charter
Schools Consultant Job Posting.
|
NC Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) Updates
Beginning Teacher (BT)Support Peer Review Process
The Beginning Teacher Support Peer Review
Process (BTSP) is a great opportunity to collaborate with other charter schools
to evaluate and strengthen the support offered to beginning teachers. A
new cycle for the Peer Review Process is beginning during the 2016-2017 school
year and will continue for five years, culminating in the 2020-2021 school
year.
Benefits of the updated BTSP Peer Review
process include:
- A new process will continue to encourage growth.
- Collaboration will be regionally based so charter schools will
have access to various (and additional) critical friends.
- There will be a common language for best practices for Beginning
Teacher support state-wide.
- Documentation of the BTSP Peer Review process can be easily contained
in a single Google Doc for BT Coordinators throughout the region to view.
- New BT Coordinators will have access to all the information to
help inform and improve their programs.
- BT Coordinators can use this process to continue to focus on
supporting their BTs in ways that will impact retention.
Please join
us for an informative BTSP Peer Review Process webinar for Charter Schools on
August 31, 2016. The new procedures for participating in the BTSP Peer Review
during the current five year cycle 2016-2021 will be explained.
To register for the 11am webinar, click here: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7587665248452523522
To register for the 1pm webinar, click here: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4111462480215464194
After registering, you will
receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. Please contact Ms. DeAnna Foust-Platt at deanna_foustplatt@abss.k12.nc.us with questions or concerns.
 Submitting Charter School Annual Independent Audits to the Local Government Commission (LGC)
This is a reminder that charter school contracts for audit
or audit-related work require the approval of the Secretary of the LGC. This
includes annual or special audits, agreed upon procedures related to internal
controls, bookkeeping or other assistance necessary to prepare the Governmental
Unit’s records for audit, financial statement preparation, any finance-related
investigations, or any other audit-related work in the State of North Carolina.
Invoices for services rendered under these contracts shall not be paid by
the charter school until the invoice has been approved by the Secretary of the
LGC. (This also includes any progress billings.) [G.S. 159-34 and
115C-447].
Instructions for submission of audit contracts for approval
are available on the Local Government Commission’s Annual Audit Forms and
Resources webpage.
|
Adherence to the 10/20 Day Rule
Please
see the attached memo, Adherence to the 10/20 Day Rule, from Dr. Rebecca
Garland and Dr. Tammy Howard to all Charter School Directors.
Attachment: MEMO
- Adherence To The 10/20 Day Rule
 66th Conference on Exceptional
Children (EC) - Educator of Excellence Nominations
Please see the attached memo soliciting nominations for Educator of
Excellence for the 66th Conference on Exceptional Children. The
nomination packets are due by September 15.
Please contact Julie Whetzel at Julie.whetzel@dpi.nc.gov with questions or concerns.
Attachment: Memo-Educator of Excellence Nomination 2016.pdf
|
Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) - Reminder
As part of NCDPI's efforts
to develop the best
accountability model for
North Carolina under the new ESSA federal
legislation, please
establish a school-level ESSA Team
within your charter school. The
task for the team is
to provide feedback
on
the specific components
for consideration by the State Board of Education as
the
best statewide model for North
Carolina.
Please see the previously sent attached memo which provides additional detail. Contact
Dr. Lou Fabrizio, Director,
Division
of
Data, Research & Federal Policy (Lou.Fabrizio@dpi.nc.gov; 919.807.3770) or Dr. Tammy Howard,
Director, Division of Accountability Services (Tammy.Howard@dpi.nc.gov; 919.807.3787) with questions or concerns.
Attachment: ESSA
Letter for Charter Schools
Charter Schools In the News
Union
Academy Receives Finance Awards
Chatham
Charter Becomes NOAA Weather-Ready Nation Ambassador
Tammy
Finch of The Expedition School Participating in Technology Forum
|
